enterprise construction

Hi Khitomer, When I am finished I will probably film it and post on Youtube. I am hoping to do some effects work with it.

Today I took a break from the painting of the warp pylons and am in the process of extending the base (I have a couple of spare I can cannibalize). I managed to cram thirty wires through the hollow metal tube I have used instead of the solid metal pole supplied in the kit and I have to find space for about twenty potentiometers. A lot of the finished kits I have seen look like Christmas trees with the lights on maximum super-brightness, if you look in the film the lights can look quite dim especially in the dry dock sequences.. I want to have total control to cater for daytime/night time etc....

Today I had a set back again thanks to the Tamiya TS27 spray matt white spray. From my perspective I do not believe it is fit for the purpose of being used for the base white for this kit as it can be scraped off with a finger easily after even a year ( yes the surface was prepared etc). I started this kit nearly a decade ago and it has taken this long because Tamiya were forced to change their formulation by the EU and it just does not work as it used to. It doesn't seem to go hard. It remains tacky and can be scraped off easily with a finger even over a year later. It is matt until you handle it to mask areas, then it goes super-glossy. It can move with pressure applied, for instance when holding the model to paint another area. The best description of the consistency is to say it is almost as if it was designed to be spray-on rubber insulation for electrical wires. The result is I have to redo the starboard hull and hold this kit so gingerly. If you are serious about making this kit and live in the EU I would not recommend using this paint for the base white colour. The Tamiya customer service representative even suggested that as it is not a Tamiya kit the plastic may not be compatible. However their spray should adhere to their own primer. Can you see the finger print indents above the black text? The old paint was perfect, really annoyed that the EU banned it.

Thanks for that plasmahal. Paul is a great guy and has been fantastic with giving me advise, tips and encouragement. He is very approachable and has been a great help when I've asked questions. He has written a book "Creating The Enterprise" which is a fascinating read into the history of the model's creation. According to him I was the second person on the planet to buy it, just beaten by a Texan a few minutes before!

The engineering hull green paint is Humbrol acrylic 30 ( the green for a Spitfire ) mixed with Tamiya matt white acrylic. I used various proportions to get the various shades. The Pearl Ex powder is available online from rainbow silks(www.rainbowsilks.co.uk). I used red, gold, blue and green interference powder but I've been through about five airbrushes!

The lower dish took ages. I have tried to replicate every panel detail down to the colour which meant I was squinting a lot at the paused BluRay. I was extremely pleased when Paul Olsen who did the original said I was pretty close. I used Tamiya clear and mixed in the Pearl Ex powder, 5 shuttlecraft scoops ( yes I used that) to 7 cc liquid plus some thinners. I sprayed with the trigger pulled back until I got the sheen I wanted, it seemed how far back I pulled it affected how shiny it ended up and I didn't want gloss.

Yes it is online. I'll have to dig out the name of the place but they're based in Hertfordshire.

Hi everyone. Here is my attempt at the refit USS Enterprise from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. I have used a flat white base and mixed up Pearl Ex pearlescent interference powder with clear acrylic to airbrush on the detailing. It will not be finished for a very long time but here is the progess so far.